15 ESSENTIAL things teenagers should learn that's not taught in high school.. or ever

Friday, April 6, 2018

"I wish I knew then, what I know now" says 99% of adults. As cliche as this saying is, most of us know firsthand how true it really is. The answer is WHY do we, as adults, even have to tell ourselves this?

We are in the year 2018 and the majority of the schools in the United States Education system are STILL teaching students useless and unimportant topics such as how to solve quadratic equations and the characteristics of ROCKS, instead of essential things students will NEED to know throughout their lives as adults. I mean seriously. I can cook and use ice just fine without knowing water's boiling or freezing point. And knowing the perimeter of a house doesn't matter to me if I can't or don't know how to actually BUY one. Furthermore, this became an alarming issue to me when I became a high school teacher last year and noticed none of the teachers were teaching their students these essential topics because it was not part of the curriculum.

I graduated high school 10 years ago (Class 08') and MORE THAN HALF of the shit I learned in high school, I did not see again or utilize as an adult. Now let me be clear. What i'm NOT saying is that school or education is unimportant. It absolutely is important! Because of school, I know how to count my money, communicate, write in clear sentences that you are currently reading lol, and know what our country's constitution consists of. What I AM SAYING is that schools need to eliminate a lot of the unnecessary shit they teach and replace the curriculum with USEFUL AND ESSENTIAL information that can be used to INCREASE the chances of survival and that is required to live as a successful adult in today's society. Some of this essential information includes but is not limited to:

1. Resume and Cover letter Writing - Very important to know and should be added to EVERY high school curriculum.

2. What a BUDGET is and how to create one - AKA knowing whether to pay your phone bill or go the bar and spend all of your money on drinks for you and all of your friends and now you can't contact them unless you have wifi.

3. How to manually sew and tailor your OWN clothes - Who wants to rely and constantly spend money at the dry cleaners, when you can do it yourself for free. Definitely comes in handy for emergency situations and has saved me from many embarrassing clothing mishaps in public haha.

4. How to dress professionally - I learned this the hard way. Like that time when I was 16 and wore JEANS and flip flops to a job interview... so disgusting and no I did not get the job lmao. WTF was I thinking!?

5. PHONE AND EMAIL ETIQUETTE - Because we currently live in a society that has gotten accustomed to texting and social media so now a lot of people forgot how to talk on the phone or write correctly. No, it is not appropriate to write or say "WYD" to your supervisor.

6. Knowing the differences between a checking account, savings account, stocks, and credit. INCLUDING how to open each as soon as age allows if your parents have not done so for you already - No, they are not the same.

7. How pension and retirement works - No, they are not the same lol.

8. How to EFFECTIVELY ask questions - Knowing how to ask a question is a very important aspect an individual must learn. It is how we gain knowledge, comprehension, and how we land a job so you should never be afraid to ask questions. Hint: yes you should always ask a question when the interviewer asks "do you have any questions?".

9. How to use all Microsoft Offices, not just WORD - Yes, they are other programs in Microsoft Office besides WORD haha.

10. EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT CREDIT!!! - If this list was numbered based on importance, this would be number 2.

11. How to pay bills AND be responsible for paying one ASAP - No, it's not just plugging in your credit card information and setting your bills on AUTO-PAY. Most of us know the dangers of auto-pay sighs lmao.

12. Prospective careers and the Job Market - No one wants to go to college for 4 years and discover that the job market for their major is not in demand. Shit would totally suck. Sorry journalism majors *sad face*

13. Financing/Leasing a car, apartment, or house - Because it's not as simple as saving up $1000 and then you get the keys. Here's a hint: CREDIT... see #10 LOL.

14. Cooking to survive - You don't have to be a gourmet chef, but later down the road in life your body will thank you for not eating box macaroni and cheese, ramen's noodles, or cans of spaghetti and meatballs every night.15. How to be and remain RESILIENT- Resiliency is defined as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. It's toughness. It's the reason why we and the generation before us survived. If this list was numbered based on importance, this would be number 1 but i'll just say I saved the best for last. LIFE IS NOT EASY. It doesn't matter what environment you come from; you will struggle, scream, be angry, cry, go hungry some days, go sleepless some days, and will encounter many situations that will make you want to quit and die. And that is fucking REALITY. BUT. When you learn to be resilient, you know you will get passed any and every adversity you face. It's part of our human nature to survive. AND THIS is the part, the essential information that they don't teach you in high school that you should and NEED TO KNOW!

There are MANY other essential things teenagers should learn how to do before adulthood such as washing clothes, hygienic practices, and wearing condoms. BUT this list I comprised should definitely become a priority that schools add in their curriculum. So there you have it!

THIS LIST > Quadratic Equations and Rock Characteristics
Make sure you or any teenagers you know stay in school so we're not confused about what that symbol above means LMAO :)

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About Me

My name is Katira Ramos. I have been told that I have no verbal filter, i'm strongly opinionated, and lack the ability to keep quiet. Well I took something that was deemed to be negative by the standards in society and turned it into something POSITIVE. Isn't that... or should I say SHOULDN'T that be the story of most of our lives?